The Price of Freedom
by Caitlin51
Summary: Princess Emma was never cut-out for a life of embroidery and etiquette. However, when she goes to Rumplestiltskin for help escaping her princessly life, the quest that he sends her on as payment for his help risks both her life and the life of the charming pirate captain. AU no curse, Captain Swan.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello everyone! I'm really excited to start writing this story, so I hope that everyone enjoys it! Also, this is an AU fic and is set so that Regina was defeated and banished and there was never a curse._

_Please enjoy and review!_

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Emma sat on a bench in the garden, her ornate skirts gathered on her lap, intently focused on her current crocheting project.

Well, sort of focused.

Okay, not really focused at all. She hated crocheting. Unfortunately, crocheting was what princesses did for fun, or so everyone told her.

"There you are," she heard a familiar voice exclaim. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Looking up, Emma saw her raven-haired mother approach, smiling at her daughter. "Hi Mom," she said, grateful for an excuse to give up on her project and nurse her sore fingers that she had repeatedly stabbed with a needle.

Coming to sit next to her, Snow asked, "Are you excited for the banquet tonight?"

"Of course," she lied, careful not to look her mother in the eyes. She knew that Snow would see right through her lies.

"And," Snow added, her tone excited, "we have a surprise for you - we are planning to announce it at the banquet."

"Great," Emma forced fake enthusiasm into her voice. Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait." Turning to her mother, she grabbed one of her hands excitedly, "Are you going to let me go off the castle grounds?"

Before she even finished her question, Snow was shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Emma, but you know that it isn't safe for you, or for any of us. Not with the Evil Queen still out there, waiting to get revenge on our family."

"But you and Dad banished her just after I was born," Emma protested. "And besides, she can't enter our kingdom - I know that there are protective enchantments against her."

Snow sighed and patted Emma's hand sadly. "Yes, but the Queen was nothing but resourceful. I don't doubt that she has spies everywhere, just waiting for a chance to carry out her evil plans."

"Mom," she said, getting frustrated, "Why are you so paranoid?"

A glint of anger appeared in Snow's eyes. "End of discussion, Emma. I will see you at the banquet tonight." With that, the queen swept away regally, her back perfectly straight.

Emma was left alone with her detested crocheting and her uncharitable thoughts towards her parents.

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The banquet was a long and tedious affair for Emma, who hated the endless formalities and inane conversations. This banquet was even worse than usual, however, because she was seated next to the current visiting dignitary, Prince Jonneth, of the neighbouring kingdom.

"...and then it was a simple manner to stab it through the heart with my sword, ending the life of the evil creature for good," the prince continued, thankfully not noticing that she had tuned out halfway through his third story about his battle prowess.

"Oh," she breathed, batting her eyes absent-mindedly while she wished that she could be anywhere else, "That sounds absolutely dreadful. You must have been so brave."

Immediately, Jonneth switched to a combination of concern and affected humility. "Yes, my lady, but I now realize that I should not have uttered such a violent story in the presence of one with such delicate senses."

"Really, my lord," she reassured the poor fool in order to avoid the glares that she knew her parents would send her way if she slighted him, "There was no fault." _Except showing up to this banquet,_ she thought, again wishing that she could be doing anything other than talking with Jonneth.

Finally, her father rose from his seat in the middle of the table and clinked his glass to get the attention of the roomful of notable guests.

"Welcome," he boomed as the room quieted. "Welcome. Snow and I are very grateful for the attendance of all of our closest friends tonight, as we have an important announcement to make.

Rising up next to him, Snow continued, "We would like to announce the engagement of our eldest child, Princess Emma, to Prince Jonneth!"

The room broke out in cheers, cheers that became a background roar in Emma's mind.

Jonneth grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, then held their joined hands in the air.

No.

No.

"NO." Emma didn't realize that she had yelled that, but no one could hear her over the babble of excited voices, voices clamoring for details on the royal wedding.

Her wedding.

To Jonneth.

She had to escape. Him, her parents, the kingdom. The further the better.

As she stood there with the crowd cheering her future union, Emma started making plans.

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_Please please please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here is the next chapter (finally...sorry it took so long!). I promise that Hook will at least appear in the next chapter, but first we have to get some background established. Enjoy =)._

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This was truly crazy. Emma knew that, but she also knew that she had no other choice. It was either this or marrying Jonneth, and that wasn't going to happen.

The caves darkened as she descended, her torch lighting up a smaller and smaller area as the oppressive blackness crowded her. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that it must be magic - the darkness seemed alive and almost tangible.

Hurrying her steps, Emma took a deep, bracing breath and gathered all of her courage around herself like a shield. She knew that if his reputation was at all true she would need every scrap of bravery and intelligence she could find.

"Who's there?" The high-pitched cackle echoed around Emma's head and made her flinch. The light she was holding blinded her to anything outside of her circle of light - it was impossible for her to see the source of the challenge.

"It is Princess Emma," she replied, holding her chin high and keeping her voice from trembling as she approached the end of the long tunnel.

Dimly, at the edge of her light, she could make out a prison in front of her. And in the prison, a figure, slumped over against the wall, his grimy hair covering his face.

The voice returned, taunting, "And what does a princess need of me?"

"You have magic," she stated, her voice steady despite her fear. "And I need magic, to escape the castle before my wedding takes place."

"Well, then, dearie," he giggled, raising his head so that she could see his dark eyes glittering in the light of her torch. "I have just what you need."

"Really?" Emma couldn't help the excitement in her tone even though she knew that she couldn't trust him. After all, she was aware of Rumpelstiltskin's reputation and she knew that she needed to be wary. "What's the catch?"

"Ooohh," he breathed, his eyes lighting up as he stood and moved over to the bars, his grotesque face twisting into a grin, "Smart, are we?"

Shrugging, Emma stayed silent and waited.

Finally, the man replied, "It's merely a simple favour in exchange for an invisibility spell."

"What favour?" Emma demanded suspiciously.

"Go to an island and bring me back a certain flower. Do we have a deal?" His eyes gleamed.

"A flower?" Crossing her arms, Emma waited for more of an explanation of this task before she accepted.

Licking his lips, Rumpelstiltskin replied shrilly, "Yes, a flower. There's a small, black flower with saw-edged petals. It only grows on that island, and," he gestured at his cell, "I'm not in a place where I can go get it."

"Why do you need it?"

"That's my business, dearie," he announced. "Not yours. Do we have a deal?"

Emma hesitated, but eventually her desire to escape won. "Yes."

"Perfect." With a snap of his scaly fingers, a contract appeared in the air in front of her. "Sign there," he instructed, pointing at the bottom of the page.

Without replying, Emma carefully read the whole contract, including the fine print. One part alarmed her slightly - "...the signing party will be magically compelled to complete the stated task…" she read, then looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "What does that mean?"

"Merely that magic methods will be put in place so that you can't back out of our deal," he explained with a giggle.

"I intend to keep it," Emma replied haughtily.

"Then it won't be a problem, dearie. Sign."

Taking the quill that had magically materialized along with the contract, Emma scribbled her name onto the bottom of the page, watching as the letters glowed a bright red and then faded into a glossy black on the page.

"Twas a pleasure, princess." Rumpelstiltskin bowed formally, his greasy hair flopping around his face.

"Yeah. The invisibility spell?"

"Of course," he cackled, waving his hand. Out of nowhere, a bracelet appeared, made of what appeared to be beaten copper. "Put this on," he ordered, "and you will be invisible to anyone you are not touching."

Taking the bracelet and tucking it into a hidden pocket on her gown, Emma turned on her heel and strode away without another word to the prisoner.

"Don't forget our deal!" His call and the accompanying laughter echoed after her, making her shiver and touch the bracelet, seeking the comfort of the metal and the assurance that she would be able to escape the palace.

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_Please review and let me know what you all think of the story so far!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks for all the support and encouragement, and please enjoy this next chapter!_

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Killian Jones, known more commonly as Captain Hook, captain of the _Jolly Roger,_ stood on the docks, his long black coat flapping in the breeze blowing off the ocean. His crew was arrayed behind him, staring off in the same direction as their fearless captain.

"What do we do now?" a voice piped up behind him.

Hook didn't turn around. "We drink, mates," he replied, making his voice much more jovial than he felt.

"But Captain," protested Smee's voice, "What about the ship?"

"I'll take care of the ship." Hook's voice was menacing as he stared at the unfamiliar crew now occupying his ship.

Normally, Hook was a great gambler - he even had a reputation for being the luckiest pirate to sail the seas. Unfortunately, his reputation made him reckless at times, and last night had been one of those times.

...

"_What'll you bet, Hook?" the unwashed pirate across from him had demanded, his breath reeking of ale._

"_For your ship and treasure?" Hook had contemplated as best as he could, considering the amount of ale he had consumed. "Well, mate, I'm going all in." It had seemed like a good idea, then, with the drink fogging his brain and his current lucky streak. "I'll bet the Jolly Roger."_

_The pirate's bushy eyebrows raised in surprise. "Deal," he had spat out quickly, before Hook could change his mind. He had then rolled a decent roll, but nothing too intimidating._

_Taking a deep breath, Hook had rolled the dice. Every eye in the unsavoury bar had been on him. _

_Snake eyes._

_The pirate across from him had jumped to his feet, screaming his victory, while Hook had just stared blankly at the dice._

_Snake eyes._

"_Alright, Hook," the new captain of the Jolly Roger had jeered, "My crew and I will be at the docks first thing in the morning to claim our prize."_

_Hook hadn't replied; he had still been staring at the dice, still not understanding how he could have lost._

_How he could have lost the Jolly Roger._

…

The sun dipped below the horizon at last - the moment that Emma had been waiting for.

She had been sitting impatiently at her window for the last hour, impatient to get going on her quest.

_I have a quest,_ she thought to herself in amazement as she settled her deep blue cloak around her shoulders and grabbed her bag. Not only was she going to have her chance to leave the palace grounds for the first time, but she was being sent on a magical quest as well. This was the type of adventure that would be told to children as bedtime stories - the time that Princess Emma showed great courage, just like her parents.

Slipping the invisibility bracelet onto her wrist, Emma carefully left her room and descended silently down the long staircase to the main level of the palace. That was the easy part.

The hard part was getting out of the actual palace without alerting any of the guards stationed at every entrance.

The stones beneath her feet made a slight scuffling sound under her shoes, but it was very faint and Emma was sure that no one would notice unless they were listening for it. Her breathing, though, seemed much too loud and she was terrified that it would be heard.

_Calm down, breathe, _she told herself silently, stopping for a second to take a couple deep breaths. It didn't calm her much.

She had already decided that she was going to have to exit through a window, as they was no way that she could get the doors opening without attracting attention. Unfortunately, going out a window meant that she would land in the bushes, and that would be difficult to do unobtrusively.

The window nearest to her wouldn't budge, no matter how much she pushed on it. She finally gave up, figuring that if she ever succeeded, it would be because she broke the stupid thing.

The next window moved when she pushed, but made a grinding sound that made her heart stop in her chest. Pausing, she glanced around wildly, but saw no one. With the coast clear, she pushed it the rest of the open and climbed onto the sill, careful not to get her cloak stuck in anything.

She jumped feeling the wind buffet her body and had to fight the urge to scream.

The bushes caught her before she hit the ground, but they were both a blessing and a curse. The needles cut into her skin, leaving stinging red welts and tore her clothes as she fought to free herself from them.

Finally, once she was back on her feet and free of the needles, she grinned. _I did it, _she thought exultantly, _I'm free._

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_Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I have had a couple requests to have longer chapters, so here is my first attempt to expand. Please leave a comment and let me know how I did!_

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Walking down the long, windy road was about the most boring thing that Emma had ever done. And that was saying a lot, considering the many hours she had spent crocheting, embroidering, and practicing the proper etiquette for every possible situation, plausible or implausible. However, boredom was the least of her worries. This summer was a scorcher, so the dry air cracked her lips and sweat coated her body, making her clothes stick to her skin.

_Stupid, Emma,_ she thought, disgusted at herself. _You brought gold and a magic bracelet, but no water._ And in hindsight, stealing a horse would also have been a good idea. The nearby port city of Alenfey was only a day's march from the castle through the forest, supposedly. However, that was an estimate for people who had some experience in travel and who had thought ahead enough to bring supplies to keep their strength up.

Alenfey had to be her destination, though. Her deal with Rumpelstiltskin had stated that she had to find that flower, and the island that it grew on was just off the coast. Hopefully, in Alenfey, she would be able to book passage on a ship to take her to her destination.

"Almost there," she croaked out through her parched lips as she continued to stumble forward. She had to be almost there, even with allowances for her slower pace. She had walked through the whole night and most of the day now; the town couldn't possibly be much further.

A hill rose up in front of her, trees lining the path. The shade helped a little bit with the heat, but not much. And the humidity was almost worse out of the direct sun. The sight of the incline made Emma visibly droop, but she resolutely hiked up her filthy, dirt-covered skirts and set off up the steep trail. Giving up wasn't and never would be an option.

Her breath rasped in her throat and her vision swam in front of her eyes. She had never experienced this before, but she assumed that she was either dehydrated or had heatstroke. Or both, possibly. It was getting harder to think.

Finally, she crested the hill and glimpsed, to her great relief, the immense ocean stretching out through the trees, only a short distance away. And, sure enough, there was Alenfey. She could see the buildings making up the town and the masts of large ships rising from the water. Letting out a relieved sigh, Emma started off down the slope, her tired feet finding new strength in her eager haste to arrive at her destination.

However, gravity combined with fatigue and dizziness proved to be too much for her.

A foot slipped and skidding forward, setting her off balance.

She tumbled down the slope, her vision flickering.

Everything went black.

…

"Where are we going, Captain?" The question came from Smee, of course. He had always been terrible at holding his tongue - questions seemed come much too easily to him, and he always felt the need to ask them.

Hook grunted. His black leather coat and heavy boots were far more suited to the windy deck of a ship than to trekking through the forest, so he was sweaty and not very pleased with life. "I have a friend who lives near the castle."

"That's all well and good, Captain," Smee puffed, his short legs working hard to keep up with Hook's longer gait. "But what can your friend do to get the _Jolly Roger_ back to us before the crew jumps ship?"

Grimacing, Hook stayed silent and ground his teeth. Sometimes he wished that he could squish the man just like an annoying bug. The rest of the crew had stayed in Alenfey, biding their time until he returned and reemployed them. However, if he took too long, it was entirely possible that they would sign on with some other captain. It would be a shame - finding a crew with flexible morals that wouldn't turn on him was difficult.

"Your friend, Captain?" Smee prompted him breathily, reminding him to answer the question.

"He owes me a favour." Hook didn't elaborate further. It was really none of Smee's business. He just figured that paying Rumpelstiltskin a visit couldn't hurt, and besides, the man did owe him for heartlessly murdering Milah in front of his eyes. Logic told him that his mission was futile, but he was desperate to reclaim the _Jolly Roger_ and this was his only chance. If he killed the Dark One like he had vowed to do, he could use his collection of treasure to buy back his ship.

"Okay, Captain." That was the only good thing about Smee, really - he didn't waste his breath arguing with Hook very often.

They walked in blessed silence for a moment; the only sound was their breath and crack of branches on the path underfoot.

Smee drew in a deeper breath as they reached the foot of a hill. Hook closed his eyes for a second and steeled himself for the question that was inevitably going to follow.

"Captain?"

"What is it, Smee?" His voice was hard, showing that he was not amused.

"N..n..nothing," Smee stuttered immediately. "There's just a woman lying there." He pointed to the side of the path.

Hook followed the gesture with his eyes and cursed. There was a woman there, her limbs twisted into an unnatural position. Her eyes were closed and there were cuts on her face, the blood still fresh.

"Get water, Smee," Hook ordered, rushing to her side. He may be a pirate, but he was a pirate with some sense of honour. Leaving a lone woman on the side of the road would violate even his moral code.

He dropped to his knees next to her and grabbed her wrist. His fingers found her pulse - it was fluttery and light, but definitely there. Breathing a sigh of relief, he gently rearranged her to a more comfortable position. She was a beautiful woman with blonde hair that glowed in the sun and delicate features. Despite her condition, Hook found himself strangely drawn to her.

"Water."

Without looking up from the woman's face, Hook grabbed the waterskin and dribbled some into her mouth, stroking her throat so that she would swallow. Then, he cupped a little bit of the water into the palm of his hand and used it to gently wipe the streaks of blood from her various cuts before they dried.

"I think she will be okay," he muttered. But now he had a decision to make - leave her there with some supplies and hope that she woke safely, or take her to Alenfey and look after her until she was conscious. Neither option was particularly attractive.

Smee squatted next to him. "What are we going to do with her, Captain?"

Another question. And this one, he didn't know how to answer. He needed the money from Rumpelstiltskin's treasure to buy back his ship. Delays were frustrating. But did he have a choice?

Finally, Hook made his decision. Scooping her up in arms as smoothly as possible in order not to aggravate any of her wounds, he rose to his feet. "We are taking her back to Alenfey, Smee." His tone was resigned.

Smee looked satisfied with Hook's decision.

Turning back to face the port town, Hook mentally prepared himself for the permanent loss of his crew and probably his ship due to the delay in his timeline. As inconvenient as this situation was, though, he still felt drawn to the beautiful woman in his arms. Maybe this wouldn't turn out to be completely terrible…

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_Please review and let me know what you think!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, and reviewed lately - it definitely encourages me to keep writing and updating regularly! I hope you all continue to enjoy the story =)._

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Emma's eyes fluttered openly slowly. There was light, but it was dim enough that it didn't hurt her eyes too badly. She thought that she must be lying down inside because there was a wooden ceiling over her head, but that just didn't make sense. The last thing that she remembered was walking and seeing Alenfey next to the ocean. Something must be wrong. Hallucinations, maybe?

She tried to sit up, but immediately decided that that wasn't a good idea as she felt her body protesting. A quick mental inventory of herself informed her that she must be bruised from head to toe from whatever had happened to her. And her wrist ached - a sprain, probably.

"Captain?" an unfamiliar voice asked from somewhere above her. She couldn't see the source. "I think she's waking up."

A figure came into her line of sight. He was tall with dark hair and a chiseled jaw covered with stubble. He wore a long black coat and a chain around his neck, his hands clasped behind his back. His piercing blue eyes met hers. Intense, she decided. Intense was the best word to describe him. He examined her with those calculating eyes and she felt a little exposed and uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly.

"No one," she muttered immediately, shaking her head. The movement made her feel slightly nauseous.

He moved his right hand out from behind his back and Emma caught a glimpse of her coin purse clutched in his fingers. "That's mine," she declared imperiously, trying again to sit up. She just didn't feel very royal or dignified lying flat on her back on what felt like a wooden table. This time, she was able to overcome her pain and rise to a sitting position. She was right - she was lying on a table in the middle of a deserted bar, her hands and legs covered in small cuts and developing bruises.

The man tossed the purse up and down a couple times, very obviously listening to the clink of coins. "That's a lot of money for 'no one,' lass."

"That's none of your business," she snapped, reaching for the purse. He pulled it away before she could seize it.

"Not so fast, love," he smiled charmingly at her. "I have a few questions first."

She stayed silent, glaring at him. Unfortunately, she had no chance of fighting him or running from him in her current state - he could easily counter any move she could make.

"Again," he leaned his face towards her, "Who are you?"

Her mind went blank. What was the protocol for when kidnappers demanded your name? She couldn't tell him that she was the princess, certainly. "Uhh, I don't…"

"Don't what?"

"...don't remember," Emma finished lamely. "My head feels woozy." That much was true - she felt quite dizzy still.

The man rolled her eyes in disgust. "Great," he muttered. "What do I do now?" He was obviously talking to himself, but Emma broke in.  
"You could give me my money back and let me go."

"That wouldn't be very smart of me." He put the coin purse into his jacket pocket and gave her another crooked grin that made her heart beat faster despite her annoyance at him. "And besides, I did save your life. I deserve some form of repayment."

Emma's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Saved my life? You?" She laughed. "Sure."

"You were lying at the bottom of a hill, so dehydrated that you were practically dead already." He tossed a waterskin over to her which she caught in both hands. "Speaking of which, drink."

She sniffed cautiously at the water, wondering if it was safe to drink. If this man was telling the truth, it was unlikely that he would poison her now, but it was still better to be cautious.

He saw her reluctance. Walking over, he took the waterskin from her and drank. "It's safe." He handed it back to her. Raising it to her lips with a nod of thanks, Emma drank greedily, letting her moisture-starved tissues absorb the water and trying not to think about the fact that his lips were just right where hers were now.

"Captain," the first voice that she had heard broke into the conversation. She had forgotten that there was another person in the room. He was a little man with facial hair, wearing a red hat. He looked nervous. "We...we can't leave her without any money."

The taller man glared at him. "Not now, Smee."

A realization struck Emma. "Captain?" she blurted out. If he was a captain, that meant that he probably had a ship. "You're a captain?"

"Aye, lass. I sail under the skull and crossbones." He said that like it was supposed to be impressive, but it just made Emma feel even more nervous.

"You're a pirate." She delivered the statement without emotion, making sure that her voice was steady.

He gave her a flourishing bow. "Captain Hook, at your service."

"I need a ship." She didn't even pause to think her decision through before the words came out of her mouth. However, Hook did supposedly save her life and he certainly hadn't tried to kill her yet, so those were good signs.

"Do you, love?" Propping a leg up on the table next to her, he looked her in the eyes. "I can arrange that, with the help of your gold." He smirked at her, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

"Deal," she responded quickly.

Hook raised an eyebrow at her exuberance, but held out his right hand for her to shake. She took it, feeling his strong, rough hand envelop hers. A blush rose to her cheeks that she tried to hide by letting her hair fall into her face. "Where to?" he asked.

"Thuill," she said determinedly, naming the island that Rumpelstiltskin had instructed her to find. "I need to get a certain flower that grows there."

Hook's confident look faded to one of concern. "Are you sure that you want that particular flower? It is…"

"...none of your business," she cut him off. There was no way that she was going to explain her deal with Rumpelstiltskin to the pirate. "I'm not paying you to ask questions."

Hook held up his hands in surrender. Well, hand. She hadn't noticed before, but in the place of his left hand was a large silver hook. She supposed that it explained his name, but it still surprised her.

"When do we leave?" she asked, trying not to stare at the hook.

He smiled. "As soon as I buy my ship back."

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_Please please please review! I love hearing your thoughts =)._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thanks for all t__he positive feedback! I really appreciate the reviews =)._

_The Snow/Charming scene in this chapter was inspired by _Hollarious969. _I hope it went as you wanted because I enjoyed adding it in (and I'll add in at least one more in a later chapter too)._

_Enjoy!_

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The _Jolly Roger_ rose up in front of him in all her glory, her burnished wooden planks almost glowing in the sunlight. The sight brought both satisfaction and relief to Hook - he hadn't liked being a captain without a ship, even though it was only for a short time.

The blonde woman was standing on his right, and he shot a quick glance at her, his eyes curious. Who was she? Some kind of nobility, he assumed, because she had had enough gold on her to buy back his ship at fair price plus a sizeable 'bonus' to speed up the sale.

"So," her voice interrupted his thoughts, "can we go now?"

He shot her an exasperated look. "There's no hurry, love. The crew should have the ship ready any moment."

There was a flurry of shouting on the deck following his words and a couple loud thumps. Hook winced, hoping that no one had dropped their cargo and hurt his ship.

Smee poked his head over the side, his trade-mark red cap bright against the blue sky. "Ready, Captain."

Hook nodded his acknowledgement. "Told you." That comment was directed to the woman at his side.

She flashed him a heated glare, her bright eyes fierce in a way he found strangely attractive despite the obvious dislike behind the expression.

"After you, my lady," he gestured for her to precede him up the ramp to the ship.

She gave him a thinly-veiled look of panic. "I'm no lady." She didn't explain any further, but her response confused him even more.

She didn't know who she was, or so she said. But she seemed pretty sure that she wasn't a lady and he was pretty sure that she wasn't a commoner, so what other options were there? On top of it all, the only thing that she clearly remembered was that she needed to get to Thuill and get that flower. It was an awfully strange thing for someone claiming amnesia to remember. And that particular flower was…

"Captain, you coming?" Smee's voice interrupted his thoughts and he quickly realized that the whole crew was lined up at the railing, staring at him. Including the woman.

Pushing his doubts aside and schooling his features into a stern mask, Hook bellowed, "Stations! I want us sailing by the time my foot hits the deck."

The crew scattered, all except for the woman. She kept her curious eyes on him as he boarded, making him feel self-conscious. A woman's gaze hadn't had that effect on him since...while, since Milah.

His voice was rougher than he intended as he placed his booted feet on the deck next to the woman and tried to banish thoughts of Milah from his mind. "What do I call you?"

She started at his abrupt question, her full lips parting slightly as she thought. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to stop himself from doing something that he would later regret. Like kissing her. But her lips were so inviting and looked soft and definitely kissable.

"Call me Emma," she finally said. Her eyes flickered to his, trying to gauge his reaction to her response.

He smiled at her, his most charming grin, calculated to take her breath away. "Welcome aboard the _Jolly Roger,_ Lady Emma."

Unbeknownst to Hook, if he had stayed in Alenfey just one more night, he would have seen the posters offering a reward for any information on the disappearance of Princess Emma, complete with pictures.

The ship pulled smoothly away from the dock.

...

Charming paced back and forth in front of the window, like he had done every night since their daughter's disappearance days earlier.

Snow sat more sedately on the window seat, watching the sun set on yet another day where their daughter didn't return home.

A messenger appeared in the doorway, like he did every night. Snow felt a faint stirring of hope that immediately vanished as she saw the look on the messenger's face. It was becoming a regular routine - every day she hoped for a miracle, and every day she was disappointed.

"Any news?" Charming demanded, pausing in his impatient habit.

The messenger shook his head. "Nothing, Your Majesties."

Charming put his hand up to his forehead, massaging his temples and squeezing his eyes shut. To any casual observer, it would appear that the King had a headache. However, to her, her husband was easy to read. That movement was designed to hide the tears in his eyes, to hide his emotion from her. He believed that he had to be strong for the sake of his family.

"You can go," Charming choked out, his voice thick. He didn't open his eyes.

"Wait," Snow ordered just as the man turned to go. "Are the posters up?"

"In every city in the kingdom, Your Majesty."

Snow nodded. "Thank you. You may go."

The messenger left with a deep bow, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"We'll find her." Snow imbued her voice with hope.

Charming sighed and opened his eyes. They were still watery, but he seemed to be in better control of himself. He sat next to her and put his strong arm around her shoulders, offering her what comfort he could give. "I know."

"And she's smart. She won't leave the kingdom." She knew that Charming would understand what she didn't say, that leaving the kingdom meant leaving the magical protection and becoming vulnerable to the Evil Queen's power.

Charming's arms tightened around her. "This is all my fault."

Surprised at his admission, Snow twisted in his grasp to meet his eyes. "No. Don't even say that."

"It's true, though." Charming's tone was bleak. "She left because of what I arranged with Jonneth's father." His muscles tensed up. "And I should have known better - my arranged marriage obviously didn't work out."

"Shush." Snow soothed him, brushing her fingertips against his face. "Yes, _we_ made a mistake." She placed a subtle emphasis on the 'we.' "But so did Emma by not talking to us and telling us how she felt."

Charming had no answer to that.

They sat there in silence for a while, just taking what solace they could in each other's company before leaving to comfort their two younger sons, Neal and Graham. Both were upset at the loss of their sister. Now was the time to put weakness and grief aside and to be strong. For their family.

...

"...and this is the galley, where you'll be spending a fair amount of your time, I'd imagine."

Emma made a face that the infuriating captain behind her couldn't see, then stepped into the tiny galley. It didn't take her long to figure out that it was the ship's equivalent of a kitchen and was only marginally larger than her room on the ship (which fit a cot and a shelf, but barely).

There was no good answer to the question, but she asked it anyway. "Why would I spend time here?"

From behind her, Hook chuckled. "Cook quit."

Emma spun around, her irritation painted across her face. "And because I'm a woman…" she trailed off, suddenly realized that Hook's chest was only inches from her face. "A...a...woman…" she stuttered, trying to regain her ability to speak.

The galley suddenly seemed even smaller with Hook there - his commanding presence filled the room and his scent assaulted her nose.

"You are certainly a woman," he muttered, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. She knew that she should move away from his touch, but she couldn't seem to force his traitorous legs to obey. "But that's not the reason," he continued, still staring at her with his clear blue eyes. "I need the rest of the crew where they are, and unless you know how to sail a ship, you're the only person I can spare."

"Oh. Right." Any and all arguments flew out of Emma's mind. Later, she would berate herself for not telling him off because she practically owns his ship and was paying him for passage and thus shouldn't have to work, but for now, conscious thought seemed beyond her.

The intensity of the moment was shattered at the sound of yelling above deck.

"I think I'm needed above deck and should probably go before they start killing each other." Hook winced at the thought. "I'll leave you to settle in."

"Thanks," she said slowly, still reeling.

He left the galley, his footsteps hurried. Running to them, or away from her?

With a sigh, Emma leaned against the wall and caught her breath. The pirate captain had an unsettling effect on her and she was determined to stay away from him. She didn't listen to that niggling doubt in the back of her mind asking her if that was going to be possible.

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_Please please please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thanks for all the support for this story - I love writing it! _

_One note: This is set in an AU, no curse universe. Because of this, Emma's character has missed a lot of the development that happened in the actual series. Thus, in this story, she is less independent and sure of herself, but still just as impulsive. Hopefully that explains why I'm writing her slightly differently._

_To one guest reviewer: I am not trying to foist the guilt for the situation onto anyone in particular. Both Emma and her parents didn't deal with it well, and that's what I'm trying to portray. Hopefully that clears things up a bit for you!_

_Enjoy =)._

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The wind was strong, filling the sails and sending the _Jolly Roger_ skipping across the ocean. Hook's long coat flew out behind him as he stood on deck, gazing out in front of them towards their destination. The island that the woman wanted to reach wasn't far away; already, it was visible as a greenish smudge on the horizon.  
The setting sun was starting to paint the clear sky in vibrant pinks and light purples. Hook judged that they were already about halfway through their journey and that they should arrive by sundown the next day.

"I have extra if you want some more."

Hook glanced over to see Lady Emma standing a step behind him, holding a plate of...well, she called it 'dinner' but it didn't resemble any food that he had ever tasted before. He had choked down his portion in front of the crew without comment and they had followed his example, but it was evident to all that the woman could not cook.

"I couldn't eat another bite," he lied with a perfectly straight face. "But thank you."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "It's awful, isn't it?"

Biting back a laugh, Hook nodded. "Aye, lass. Truly awful."

She laughed as well, apparently not taking offense at his honesty. "They never taught me to cook in pr...er, lady lessons. It's a skill that I never thought I would need." A couple steps put her beside him, staring out at the horizon as well, her shoulder just barely brushing against him as the ship swayed in the waves.

"Then what did they teach you?" Hook teased, extremely conscious of how close she was to him and how the setting sun highlighted her face. Every bit of contact made him wish for just a little more, though he knew that he couldn't have it. "Sewing?"

Emma sniffed, acting offended. However, he could see the humour in her eyes as she responded, "Embroidery, actually."

"Useful skill."

"You never know when you'll be in a situation that calls for embroidery skills."

"That comes up often?"

Emma let out another laugh. "I wish," she finally admitted with a rueful smile. "Honestly, I wish someone had taught me basic things, like fencing or cooking."

"Me too," Hook muttered under his breath. He narrowly avoided her playful punch at her comment.

They settled into a companionable silence for a couple moments. The pirate captain took the time to really examine his passenger. She was beautiful, he verified his earlier opinion. Trusting and innocent, but with a core of strength and bravery that impressed him. Were he a woman, he would not have hired a pirate ship crewed by raucous men to take him anywhere. That took guts, and he respected her for it.

The earlier scene in the galley was burnt into his mind, constantly replaying itself over and over. With Emma by his side, her blonde hair glowing in the light of the setting sun, it was easy to understand why he had given into the temptation to touch her, to brush a lock of hair behind her ear in an uncharacteristically tender gesture. But the strong physical attraction coupled with the easy banter flowing between them made him feel like he hadn't felt since...well, since Milah. And those feelings scared him.

"It's beautiful out here," Emma sighed, startling him out of his thoughts. "So peaceful." There was obvious longing in her voice.

"That it is, lass." Hook's voice was thick from thoughts of his lost true love.

"I wish…" she bit her lip and trailed off, looking down.

Before he thought it through, Hook put one hand under her chin and tilted her face up so that he could gaze into her eyes. "Wish what?" he prompted gently. She was so close, so kissable. It was taking all of Hook's self-control to not take advantage of the moment.

"That I was born to a freer life," she breathed, but he could tell that her thoughts were no longer on what she was saying. She was just as intent on him as he was on her. She started to lean forward and he groaned mentally. No amount of self-control in the world could stop him from accepting such an obvious invitation. Her eyes fluttered closed as his hand moved to the back of her neck, pulling her in faster, impatient to have her lips touch his. Finally, he brushed her lips very gently, savouring the explosion of sensation coursing through him at the briefest of touches. He felt her sigh and step into him. He lowered his mouth and was about to capture hers in a real kiss, when he heard, "Captain!"

One of his hands tightened into a fist at the sound of Smee's voice, breaking the moment. Emma pulled away immediately, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry," she gasped, touching her fingers to her lips. "I shouldn't…"

Hook was already shaking his head. "Don't...don't apologize." The kiss had been amazing, even though it barely even qualified as a real kiss. And now, it was going to be even harder to keep his hands off her, now that he knew what it felt like to kiss her.

Without another word, Emma turned and walked fast enough that she was practically running down the steps leading to her room below deck.

Hook closed his eyes, throttling Smee in his mind, the feel of Emma's lips still clear in his memory.

"Captain, over here!"

With another groan, Hook went to go see what his infuriating crew wanted.

…

The cabin door slammed behind her. What was she thinking? The obvious answer was that she wasn't thinking. A princess did not kiss a pirate. She didn't remember learning anything about proper behaviour in this situation, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Her tutors probably had never imagined that she would be a passenger on a pirate ship and that the pirate captain would be ridiculously charismatic and handsome.

Emma hid her face in her hands, feeling the flush on her face. And the worst part was that she had kissed him, not the other way around. He had merely reciprocated. She couldn't even lie to herself and say that he was taking advantage of her.

Her lips still tingled from the feeling of his brushing hers so incredibly gently, awakening feelings that she didn't know she had. Feelings that, now there, just made her want to run back to him, to kiss him again.

Emma groaned again. What would her parents think? Her father, especially, would not be impressed with her choices. That thought of her parents made guilt rise up again - she had tried to avoid thinking about her family that she had run away from. Her brothers probably wouldn't be missing her too much, but her parents were probably frantic by now. However, now that she had had a taste of adventure, she didn't know if she could return to a boring life at the palace, full of endless formalities.

A wave of dizziness overtook her all of a sudden, cutting of her train of thought. She immediately lay down before she passed out, and sleep claimed her almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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	8. Chapter 8

"Is that Thuill?" Emma asked curiously as she climbed up on deck to join Hook at the railing, staring out towards a nearby island.

It was late in the morning - she had stayed in her bed longer than she intended and had missed the sunrise over the ocean. However, getting up had been harder than she wanted to admit that morning.

All night long, thoughts of the pirate captain's brilliant blue eyes had haunted her, somehow tender and fierce at the same time as they had looked at her. And memories of their kiss also had plagued her. The tingles had faded, but the feelings she had experienced weren't so easy to push aside. There was a part of her that wondered what would have happened if Smee hadn't interrupted, if Hook had kissed her the way that she had dreamed of being kissed.

That thought was too dangerous to entertain for long, so she reluctantly dismissed it. She was having enough trouble keeping her distance from Hook; she didn't need to add a crush to the situation.

"Aye, lass," Hook confirmed, leaning on the railing and turning his head so that he was meeting her gaze. "Not too far now. We'll be there by sundown, perhaps earlier if the wind continues to cooperate."

A brief stab of pain shot through Emma's heart at his words. She knew that she had signed that contract with Rumpelstiltskin and that she had no choice but to complete her quest, but she no longer cared about the flower or going back to her boring life as a princess. Instead, she just wanted to be traveling, seeing the world. And if her plans included staying with a certain handsome pirate for just a little longer, that wasn't so bad, was it?

"That's great," she finally forced out woodenly, seeing that Hook was waiting for a response. Their journey was nearly halfway over already.

Suddenly not feeling up to conversation, Emma pushed away from the railing and turned to head back to her cabin to relax for a moment.

Weakness suddenly flooded through her muscles and they collapsed under her, her mind going blank. She felt herself falling, but she was curiously detached from her body. A black haze spread across her vision, turning the bright day into night.

…

"Emma? Emma, are you okay?"

Slowly, Emma blinked her eyes open and stared right into Hook's worried face, only inches from her. She was lying on her back on the deck. She could see clear blue sky surrounding his head, the brightness making it hard for her eyes to focus well.

"Wha...what happened?"

Relief crossed Hook's face as he sat up. "You blacked out, lass."

"And the Captain caught you before you fell," Smee's voice added helpfully from somewhere outside of her field of vision.

Hook shot the man a glare over her head, but then his expression softened again as he looked back at her. "Can you stand?" He offered her his hand, palm up, for her to take.

"Uhh, yeah." She reached out and placed her hand in his, ignoring the heat that rushed through her body from the contact. He pulled her up gently, reaching around to place his other hand on her back to steady her.

She wouldn't admit it to him, but her legs were still extremely wobbly and she probably would've fallen again if it weren't for his support.

Gently, without breaking contact, Hook led her over to the steps leading to the ship's wheel. Even with her mind working slowly, she knew that letting him hold her even in this impersonal way wasn't the best idea, but she didn't have the strength to pull away.

"Easy there, love," Hook cautioned as he helped her sit down on the steps. "Better?" He sat next to her, not releasing her hand. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to - it was nice to feel secure in his grasp.

It was significantly better to sit down. The dizziness was beginning to recede and her head was clearing. "Yes. Thank you."

"What happened?" he asked, his thumb tracing comforting circles on the palm of her hand. It was extremely distracting, and Emma had to take a couple deep breaths before she could reply.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "All of a sudden I was so dizzy, and then…" she trailed off. He knew what had happened next. "I probably just don't have my sea-legs yet."

He looked skeptical at her conclusion. His reaction was understandable, as she didn't even believe her own statement. Before that moment, she had been doing perfectly fine on the ship, without even a touch of sea sickness. But what other explanation could there be?

…

The midday sun beat down on Hook in his black leather coat, the only respite was the strong wind bearing them quickly towards their destination. Too quickly.

Hook expertly spun the wheel so that the ship's sails caught the strong breeze full on. Despite his reservation about reaching the island, he was too good a captain to make his ship and crew work harder than they had to.

He snuck a glance at Emma, who was sitting to his left, leaning against the railing. Her face was still a little pale from her episode a couple minutes earlier, but she had at least felt steady enough to climb the stairs and join him at his post.

She had kept insisting that she was fine and that she must have just stumbled, but he could tell that she was more concerned than she had let on. So was he. If it happened again…

"You're not nearly as tough as you want everyone to think."

Surprised, Hook's grip on the wheel slipped and the ship shuddered in protest. Immediately, he steadied the course again. "You're mistaken, lass," he replied without looking at her. "I'm a ruthless pirate, remember?"

Her low chuckled reached his ears and made the temptation to look at her irresistible, and he gave in. The amused smile on her face and her returning colour made her look breathtaking.

"Hardly," she disagreed. "Ruthless pirates don't rescue damsels in distress. Twice." He could tell that she didn't particularly like admitting that she had needed help, but he admired that she could accept it and move on.

"When the damsels are so irresistible, even a cold-hearted pirate doesn't have a chance," he teased, only half-joking. "I'm surprised that your family ever let you leave with your particular skill at passing out."

A shadow passed across her face and Hook immediately regretted his words. Obviously, her family was a taboo subject.

When she finally spoke, her tone was more serious and sad. "I ran away," she admitted. "I wanted an adventure. But now, now I miss them. And I wish that I had told them that I was leaving, so that they wouldn't be so worried."

Not sure how to respond, Hook decided to try to distract her, to try to banish her melancholy expression. "See this?" he held up the charms that hung on the chain around his neck. "This was my brother's. Very valuable piece."

Curiosity was evident in her eyes as she stood and walked over to examine the silver charms. His muscles tensed, ready to grab her if she so much as wavered, but she seemed to be steady. "It doesn't look like much."

"It would fetch a pretty price at any market, but I can't bear to part with it." Hook didn't know why he had told her that part.

Her eyes were soft as she looked at him. "Where is your brother now?"

"Gone."

"I'm sorry."

Hook gritted his teeth, trying not to be swept away by the tide of memories of Liam. Changing the subject before he lost the battle against his past, he commented. "You never did tell me why you needed that flower."

The soft look went out of her eyes, replaced by a steely glint. "I believe I told you it was none of your business, pirate."

He spread his arms wide in innocence. "Never stopped me before." He grinned charmingly, trying to get her to drop her defenses.

"If you must know," she replied coldly, "it's not for me. I'm getting it as a favour for someone else."

A feeling of dread settled into Hook's stomach. He had suspected that her quest for this flower would end badly; there was no scenario in which that plant could create happiness. But still, having his suspicions confirmed was like a blow to his heart. "Who asked you to get that?" he asked, his tone bleak.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because anyone demanding that of you is truly evil."

Her eyes widened. "Wh-" she started to ask, but her breath was robbed by a ferocious gust of wind jolting the ship.

The sea responded as well, the waves swelling higher and higher. Hook could feel drops of the spray hitting him as he struggled to maintain his balance on the swaying deck and keep the wheel from ripping itself out of his grasp.

"Where did this storm come from?" he roared. Only a moment ago, the water had been calm and the sun had been shining in a clear sky. In only a matter of seconds, the sky had darkened and the wind had been whipped up to dangerous levels.

Automatically, his eyes searched the deck for Emma. He let out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding at the sight of her holding onto the rail and soaking, but okay.

A woman's voice cut through the storm, menacing and taunting. "Princess Emma, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

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_Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Okay guys, keep those reviews coming! I really want to hear what everyone thinks of the story so far and in the future…_

_Anyway, enjoy this chapter =)._

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"Princess Emma, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." The words pierced through the howling wind and struck fear into Emma's heart. She only knew of one person with the ability and the motivation to whip up a storm in the middle of the ocean - the Evil Queen.

"Show yourself," Emma screamed out, still clinging desperately to the rail so that the bucking ship couldn't throw her into the sea. Her clothes were soaked and clung to her body, making her shiver.

A figure materialized above the deck, untouched by wind or water. Her long black hair was pinned elegantly to the top of her head, not so much as a strand out of place. Her deep purple dress was likewise dry. "I've been waiting for many years to meet you," she sneered, her booted feet landing on the wooden deck.

"Stop this madness." Her throat was getting sore from yelling, but she had to make the Queen stop before she destroyed the ship and crew.

The Queen smiled, a predatory smile. "I don't think so. You see," she strode closer to Emma, "the magical protection around your kingdom doesn't extend out into the sea. And you, my dear," the Queen bent down so that she was eye level with Emma, "were foolish enough to go on a sea voyage."

All of a sudden, the extreme amount of danger she was in hit Emma like a ton of bricks. She was going to die. Her parents were never going to know what happened to her. She was going to meet a watery grave at the hands of the Evil Queen.

"Step away from her, you vile creature." The roar came from behind the purple-clad figure.

One of the Queen's eyebrows rose in amusement as she straightened and glanced scornfully behind her. "Who dares to challenge me?"

Desperate to see the confrontation, but also scared of what she was going to find, Emma crawled along the deck until the Queen was no longer obstructing her view. The sight there made her heart sink, although she had expected it.

Hook balanced gracefully on the heaving deck, a sword extended in front of him, his expression one of deep concentration. "Captain Hook, if you must know," he responded to her question with a flick of his sword that was probably supposed to mimic a salute. "Now why don't you tell me what business you have with my passenger?" He gestured to Emma. As he did so, she saw an unmistakable hint of concern in his eyes for her safety. It just made her feel worse because she knew that it was her own stupidity which had started this mess.

The Queen scoffed. "Stay out of this, pirate, before you get hurt." She turned back to Emma, a sickly sweet smile on her face. "Now, where-"'

Her sentence was cut off as Hook charged her from behind, brandishing his sword and emitting a wordless yell.

The Queen didn't even glance behind her. A spark of green shot out from her hand and struck Hook in the chest, sending him flying backwards in an arc towards the opposite side of the ship. Emma's heart constricted as she heard his body hit the railing with a sickening thud even through the raging storm.

He didn't move.

"Hook," the scream ripped out of her, seconds too late and she felt hot tears well up in her eyes, a sharp contrast to the freezing spray of the ocean.

The ship tilted alarmingly in response to another wave, and Emma felt herself sliding towards where the pirate lay, motionless and pressed up against the railing. Clawing at the deck with her fingers, she tried to stop her momentum, but it was futile.

"I'm not here to kill you," the Queen's amused voice reached Emma's ears. She was walking calmly towards the sliding princess. "I'm going to use you as bait."

Emma's eyes widened. "You want me to get to my mother," she gasped, finally understanding why the Queen was there. Her legs hit the railing with a jolt that she felt through her whole body. She noticed, through the fear clouding her mind, that Hook was only inches away from her and was obviously still unconscious. "That's never going to happen," she flung her defiance in the Queen's face.

The woman laughed mockingly. "I'm afraid I'm not giving you a choice."

Taking a deep breath, Emma did the only thing she could think of - she grabbed Hook's arm and flung them both over the nearly horizontal railing and into the treacherous ocean. The impact of the cold water knocked the breath out of her lungs and immediately closed over her head. She could feel the weight of her dress and her grip on Hook pulling her down. Frantically, she kicked up towards the surface, desperate to find air. Somehow, she managed to surface for a brief second, feeling the burn in her legs and aware that, unless she released the pirate, she was going to drown. Even that knowledge didn't break her grip on him, though. Not after all he had done for her.

A large plank of wood landed in the water next to her flailing arms and she immediately latched onto it with her free arm, surprised at how conveniently that had turned up.

"Idiot girl," she heard the Queen yell in disgust from the ship. "I don't want you dead. Not yet, anyway."

Ignoring her, Emma pulled Hook onto the board and hoped that his lungs weren't too full of water. It galled her that she had to accept the floatation device from the Evil Queen, but it was either that or die, and dying wasn't high on Emma's list of priorities. She knew that Thuill wasn't far now, so that was her goal.

"But once your parents come to rescue you," the Queen threatened, "I'm going to kill your whole pathetic family and reclaim my rightful throne."

Grimly, Emma started kicking her sore legs, trying to propel the board towards the island.

…

"You're going to help me or I'm going to kill you," Regina commented pleasantly to a short member of the pirate's crew wearing a red hat.

"Yes, I'll help you. Of course I'll help you because I don't want to die," the man gulped, babbling in his nervousness.

The Queen rolled her eyes. She hated dealing with stupid people, but that dratted princess had left her little choice. "You are going to go to find Snow White and tell her that her precious daughter is stranded on the island of Thuill. And tell her that she has until the next full moon to come rescue her personally, or I will return and kill her. Got it?"

The little man nodded vigorously.

"Good." The Evil Queen smiled in satisfaction. The years of waiting for her revenge were finally paying off.

…

Blearily, Hook looked around at his surroundings. His head pounded and he felt nauseous, the constant waves making him feel worse. And he seemed to be partially stretched across a piece of wood floating in the ocean. That couldn't be good.

"Hook," the relieved sigh came from Emma, who was next to him. "I thought you weren't going to wake up."

"Aye, lass," he grimaced, putting a hand to his head. "I wish I hadn't. What happened?"

Emma avoided his gaze and instead pointed out ahead of them. "We're almost to Thuill."

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	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little late...but also, I need to warn you all that updates will be a little random from now on, because I'm moving back to school and I'll be pretty busy. However, the story will definitely still continue!_

_Enjoy =)._

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Wearily, Hook stumbled onto the beach, feeling his sodden leather coating pulling him off balance in the shifting sands. Next to him, Emma was pulling her heavy, water-laden skirts out of the water and gathering them into her arms to make it easier for her to move.

They walked in silence up the beach until they were close to where the forest started and the sand ended, but then Emma nearly fell over from exhaustion.

"Maybe we should rest," Hook suggested, his voice cold.

She agreed with a tired nod and dropped to the sand, her wet skirts fanning out around her legs. Hook fought the urge to groan as he lowered his weary body onto the warm beach next to her. The pounding in his head coupled with his exhaustion made it hard to think, but one thought stayed clear in his mind - Emma was a princess. A bloody princess.

"You lied to me," he finally grunted, feeling the heat from the sun start to soak through his leather clothing and warm his cold, wet body. He shifted in the sand so that he could see her out of his peripheral vision. Her eyes were closed, but he could still see the fear painted across her features. That sight eased his anger at her slightly - he found it difficult to be upset at her when she so clearly was frightened.

"I said I wasn't a lady."

Hook's mouth turned up slightly of its own accord. "Aye, love," he sighed, "I guess you did at that." _But,_ he thought to himself, _you didn't mention that you were the princess. _If he was being honest, it bothered him more than it should that she had lied to him. Normally, he wouldn't really have cared. People lied to him all the time; he did the same to them. But for some reason, Emma's lack of honesty wounded him.

"I guess I owe you an apology, Hook." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emma rise to lean on her elbow and face him, a look of deep sadness on her face. "I lost your ship. And crew. And," she gestured around with her free hand, "I managed to strand us on this island. This is all my fault."

"Can't argue with that," Hook softened his statement with a playful wink in her direction. Even though any hopes of a romance with her had been crushed when he discovered that she was a princess, he still couldn't stand to see her so depressed and afraid. "However, since I saved your life, _again_," he stressed the last word, "I think you owe me an explanation."

"Saved my life?" she demanded indignantly. "That's not how I remember it. You were-"

"-attacking the evil magical woman with only a sword, all in order to protect you," he finished, cutting her off.

"But I got us here," she protested, but he could see a spark in her eyes and he knew that he had managed to distract her from her fear and guilt, at least for the moment.

"Fine," Hook waved his hand in an airy, gracious motion. "We'll call that one even, then. But you still owe me for the other two times I rescued you."

She laughed at that, and the sound made Hook smile. No matter how bad the situation was and how fragile his heart was, at least he could enjoy her company before it was all ripped away from him again, just like it was with Milah.

"My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming." Her sudden statement surprised him; he had assumed that she wasn't going to share anything about her life that would shed light on their current situation. "And I ran away from them and from my little brothers because I was sick of being a princess." She hesitated, then added, "And I didn't want to marry the idiot they picked for me."

Carefully controlling his look of surprise, Hook asked nonchalantly, "You're engaged?"

Emma grimaced. "Depends how you look at it. According to my parents, yes. But I'm not marrying him."

"Good. That's a good choice," Hook sighed in relief. He knew that he should try to stop caring about her and whether or not she was actually engaged, but it was still hard to wrap his mind around her as a princess, and even harder still to convince himself that he didn't have feelings for her. "And so you ran away?"

"I decided that I wanted to go on an adventure, that I wanted to do something with my life other than embroidery, so I left." She wrinkled her nose ruefully. "I wasn't very smart about it, though, as you found out."

Chuckling, Hook agreed. "Aye, lass, I can attest to that." He remembered finding her, sprawled on the ground, unconscious and dehydrated only miles from Alenfey. "That woman in the storm - she was the Evil Queen?" Her tyrannical rule hadn't really affected him much, as a sailor or as a captain, but he had heard rumours of her grudge match with Snow White and her eventual banishment.

"I think so," she confirmed his suspicions.

Ignoring the sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, Hook dug his fingers into the sand and felt the hot granules trail through his fingers. "She certainly lives up to her terrifying reputation."

Emma said nothing.

Finally, tired of the silence, Hook stood up and brushed the sand off his coat and clothing. Offering his hand to her, he shot her his characteristic charming grin. "I think a bit of exploring is in order, don't you?"

Biting her lip enticingly, she accepted his hand and he pulled her up and into his arm to steady her as the sand shifted under her weight. Automatically, his other arm came around her waist, pulling her closer to him despite the warning alarms sounding in his brain, trying to remind him that this was a bad idea. He ignored them and breathed in her scent, a light floral aroma mingling with the salt and sand encrusted in her hair. The moment lasted for only a couple seconds before she pulled back. He could tell that she was just as conflicted as he was; her inner struggle, clear in her eyes, mirrored his exactly.

She took a deep breath. "So, exploring?"

…

"There's a reason I chose to spend my life on the ocean," Hook grumbled, swatting at yet another mosquito that had decided to target him. "No bugs."

A couple steps ahead of him in the forest, Emma pushed a branch aside out of the way of their rough path. "I hear water," she said, ignoring his complaints. "If it's a stream, then we'll have fresh water."

Hook shut his mouth. Fresh water was much more important than his plight with the mosquitoes, although he felt like he was being eaten alive. A stream would prove invaluable to their survival on the island.

Suddenly, Emma froze, then bent down to inspect something on the forest floor.

"Emma?" Immediately, Hook thought of every poisonous insect and reptile he had ever heard of and imagined the worst. "What is it?" Against his better judgment, he moved to stand beside her and bent down to see what she was looking at.

"The flower," she muttered absent-mindedly, reaching down toward the plant. The flowers growing on the stem were black, with saw-edged petals.

"Don't touch that," Hook yelled right in her ear, pushing her to the ground with his shoulder before she could make contact with the dangerous plant. "It's not safe."

"What the-" Emma seethed hotly, pushing herself to her knees and trying to brush off the damp dirt that clung to the side of her body.

"Saving you. Again." He glared at her, his anxiety feeding off her anger.

"Well, stop. I need that flower." She reached for it again, but Hook grabbed her wrist and jerked her away from the pant and towards him.

"Why are you obsessed with that plant?" he demanded, meeting her glare with his own. "Do you know what it does to you?" She tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp, but he held her firmly. "Tell me," he roared, feeling bad when she flinched back, but not bad enough to leave the issue.

"I promised to get it for someone," she finally shot back. "Let me go."

"No." Now, he was trembling with fear and rage, both directed at whatever person was forcing her to get this flower. However, he made himself take a couple deep breaths to calm himself down before he explained. "That flower," he started, licking his lips nervously, "gives away free will."

Emma stopped fighting as all her rage left her at once. "What?"

"If you pick that flower and give it to someone, they control you. Completely." His voice was sad and entreating, begging her to listen to him. "No more freedom."

"No." She wilted and he caught her against him as she fell forward. "I made a deal." The words were forced out of her mouth with distaste.

Ice settled in around Hook's heart. "With who?" He phrased it as a question, but he already knew the answer. There was only one person who would make that kind of deal.

There was no answer. Hook looked down at the woman in his arms and realized that her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow - she had passed out.

Hook needed to find out more about this deal – he suspected that it was affecting Emma more than she admitted. And this time, he had to keep the woman he cared for out of Rumpelstiltskin's clutches.

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_Please review!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Sorry this chapter took quite a while; school's been absolutely crazy lately! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think =)._

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The entire court was aflutter with whispers, the rumours circulating faster than the man causing the uproar could walk.

"Why is he here again?" Snow hissed to Charming, sitting on his throne next to her. The man approaching them looked filthy and probably smelled even worse, judging by the reactions of the people crowding the large hall as he passed by them. In his dirty fingers, the stranger clutched a red felt hat close to his chest.

"He claims to know something about Emma's disappearance," Charming muttered back, his voice quiet enough to keep his words just between them.

"And you believed him?" she demanded, just barely keeping her voice under control.  
Sighing, Charming reached out and grasped her hand in his, squeezing gently to try and comfort her. "I know it's a long shot, but it's the only chance we have right now. I'm not going to risk our daughter's life by dismissing him out of hand."

"Where are the boys?" Snow distracted herself from the tears forming in her eyes at the mention of Emma's disappearance by changing the subject. "I don't want them here for this, not if it turns out to be nothing." Her tone clearly conveyed that she was sure that the man wouldn't have any useful information.

"Already in their rooms."

"Ahem," a voice interrupted their conversation with a nervous cough.

Looking up from her husband, Snow realized that the dirty man had reached the foot of the dais and was now waiting for their permission to speak. She waved her hand at him in an airy motion that granted him permission to start his tale.  
"Smee," the man mumbled his name, his eyes darting around anxiously. "I gotta give you a message."

"From who?" Charming asked in a patient tone. However, Snow could hear the impatient undertone to his question.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. "She called herself the Evil Queen."

The room fell silent. Absolutely silent. Snow could almost smell the fear in the air.

"Are you sure that's who it was?" she stepped into the conversation, half-rising out of her chair in her anxiety.

"She's not easy to mistake."

Suddenly feeling overcome with anger, Snow curled her hands into fist and made herself take a couple deep breaths.

"I think you should start from the beginning." Charming phrased it as a suggestion, but it was clearly an order. "Smee, was it?"

"Yes sir." Wringing his hands, the man related his tale, a tale that was extremely improbable.

But Snow believed him.

And, threats or no threats, she was going to go find her daughter.

…

The world came into focus around her, the colours slowly swirling into familiar shapes. Trees. The cloudless sky. Hook's blue eyes, narrowed in concern.

"You're awake."

"Very observant of you," she commented, still feeling a little disoriented. She tried to sit up, but the movement made her feel dizzy.

"Slowly, love," Hook cautioned, his strong hand pushing down on her shoulders until she lay back down.

"What happened?"

"You swooned," his mouth turned up into a charming grin that made her heart flutter and didn't help with her dizziness, "and luckily I was there to catch you."

"You wish," she retorted, but it came out more like a breathy whisper.

Gently, Hook brushed his fingers against the side of her face. "Don't try to deny it. Many a woman has fallen for my devilishly good looks."

Emma would have responded, but the feeling of his skin against hers made even breathing difficult. Talking sounded nearly impossible.

Time seemed to slow down, allowing their moment to stretch and Hook's hand to linger on her face. Finally, he pulled his hand back and time resumed its normal pace.

"I need to know more about the deal you made with Rumpelstiltskin."

Immediately, Emma frowned, her attraction taking a backseat to her irritation. "I never said his name." Her frown deepened and her eyes hardened. "How did you know that?"

His voice was gravelly and he refused to meet her gaze. "He and I have a score to settle." Emma had never really been that frightened of the pirate, but that statement and the way he said it did scare her a little bit.

"I didn't have much of a choice," she finally admitted in a defensive tone. "I had to get out of the palace and there was no one else that could help me. He was my last resort."

Hook let out a heavy sigh and some of the harshness drained out of his face, leaving him looking tired. "Tell me about the deal."

"It wasn't much. I was just supposed to get that flower. Oh, and," she felt around her waist, hoping that the bracelet that Rumpelstiltskin had somehow magically managed to survive the swim to the island, "he gave me this to get me out of the castle." A lump brushed her hand and she pulled out the bracelet triumphantly, holding it up for Hook to see. "It turns its wearer invisible."

"Great. Just what we need. Alone on a deserted island and the only asset we have is magical jewelry."

"At least it's something."

"Aye, lass," he admitted, sighing heavily. "But it will only be useful if we happen upon a ship that is willing to pick up stranded passengers."

"Because the Evil Queen won't see me leaving," Emma finished, understanding his plan. "That's perfect."

"Only pirates sail these waters, love. And pirates aren't generally friendly to those without money."

Emma fell silent, bemoaning the loss of the money she had brought with her to buy passage on Hook's ship. "It's our only shot."

"You're going to keep getting weaker." Hook's statement came out of the blue and had nothing to do with their previous conversation. "It's part of the deal you signed."

"It couldn't be." However, even as the words left Emma's lips, she remembered something the contract had mentioned. "The signing party will be magically compelled to complete the stated task," she whispered slowly, her eyes growing wider with every word.

"I assumed as much. Your dizzy spells made no sense otherwise."

"Is there any way out of this deal?" she asked him desperately.

His hand found hers and their fingers entwined. "No."

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_Please review!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: So, it's only like two weeks until OUaT comes back and I can't wait! It's going to be absolutely wonderful with Hook and Emma finally together. Anyway, here's the next chapter._

_Enjoy =)._

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The island was small and very much deserted. That was what Hook had determined after being stranded there for almost a day now.

Like he had mentioned to Emma previously, the waters around their island were a popular route for pirate ships - they had already seen at least four. However, just like he had told her, none of the boats even slowed, much less stopped, to pick them up and bring them back to Alenfey.

Emma was getting progressively weaker. She wouldn't admit it, but he could tell that she was conserving her energy and trying not to waver as her dizzy spells happened more and more frequently.

"It's getting dark, lass," he finally sighed, abandoning his position on the beach in favour of joining Emma at the edge of the trees. "We should pick a place to spend the night."

"What if there's a ship? We can't leave."

"They won't see us in the dark, and even if they did, it's too dangerous to try and sail close to an island without proper light. There's no point."

Emma bit her lip and looked away, but not before he saw the fear clouding her eyes. He knew that she was scared of the Evil Queen and what she would do to her family if they came on a rescue mission. The pain in her eyes made him want to comfort her, to be there for her as someone she trusted. However, he didn't know if she did trust him. Liked him? Certainly. But trusted him? The question plagued Hook and he found himself fixating on it. For some reason, knowing that she trusted him was extremely important to him, and that didn't really make sense.

"Can we at least camp on the beach? I like it better here."

Hook sighed in defeat. He would have preferred to sleep amidst the trees - it felt safer to hide, just in case something was out there. But if Emma was happier here…

He sat down next to her, his body angled to face her.

"Do you trust me?" The words came out, unbidden, before Hook could think. The second they left his lips, he cursed himself for the vulnerable question. His whole body tensed up as he waited for the answer.

Emma peered pensively off into the distance, her brow furrowed in thought. "I don't know," she finally muttered, refusing to meet his gaze.

Hook's heart dropped down to his soggy boots.

"I mean, I'm not afraid of you." This time her eyes met his, full of questions. "But I...I don't know. There's so much you don't tell me."

"Like that I'm secretly the product of true love, a princess, and a victim of one of Rumpelstiltskin's evil deals?" Hook grinned crookedly at her, trying to defuse the serious mood between them and distract himself from her response.

She smiled and a little chuckle escaped her lips. "Fair enough," she admitted with a tilt of her head towards him. "Maybe I wasn't exactly honest with you either, but it's all out in the open now. No more lies."

"I know," he found himself saying with a fond smile on his lips. "I trust you." He didn't know why he trusted her; it honestly didn't make much sense. Maybe it was because of the feelings he was beginning to develop towards her...but no. He couldn't think of those. That couldn't happen. However, his resolve on that matter was starting to weaken.

"Her name was Milah." Hook forced the words out of his mouth before he could change his mind, interrupting the silence between them. The only way to win her trust was to stop hiding things from her, just like she had told him. It was much easier said than done. Even saying Milah's name gave him a heartache.

Emma's hand slipped into his, and she stayed silent, allowing him to continue on his own terms. He appreciated it.

"We...we were in love." He swallowed heavily, fighting done swells of anger as he thought of what he was going to say next. "But she used to be married to Rumpelstiltskin, before he became the Dark One. Needless to say, he wasn't happy that she left him for me."

He paused, unable to speak through the lump in his throat.

Emma squeezed his hand reassuringly and moved so that she was leaning against him. The contact was what Hook needed to continue.

"He murdered her. Right in front of me. And then," he gestured at her with his hook hand, "he cut off my hand."

Emma stared at him, speechless. He could see the sorrow in her eyes, but no pity. She already knew him well enough to know that he didn't need pity. Not hers or anybody else's.

"And that's the whole truth."

"Thank you," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder briefly before raising it again. "I appreciate your honesty."

Pushing away the unpleasant memories, Hook turned slightly and gave her a charming grin, changing the atmosphere. "One last thing, lass - I had a name before I was Hook," he teased lightly.

"Yeah? And…?" He could tell that she was intrigued.

"And I'm going to need some encouragement to tell you," he sighed, then winked at her cheekily. "It's not something I tell just anyone."

Pursing her lips, Emma asked, "And what exactly does this entail?" There was a gleam in her eyes that told him that she wasn't as innocent as she was playing.

"Close your eyes," he instructed, gazing at her lips meaningfully.

"And if I don't?"

"I think you will."

He leaned towards her slowly, impatient to kiss her, but unwilling to rush. Finally, when he was inches from her lips and could feel her warm breath on his face, her eyes fluttered closed.

His lips met hers in their first real kiss, tender and light. Then, Hook's hand reached up and tangled in the hair at the back of her head, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss, but only slightly. He didn't want to scare her with the passion rippling through him.

After a wonderful moment, he pulled away, seeing the pleasure he had experienced echoed in her eyes.

"I believe you owe me something," she whispered unsteadily.

"Killian. Killian Jones," he replied softly, his hand trailing from her hair down her cheek and across her lips.

She smiled at him and it was like everything else ceased to exist and there was only her.

"A pleasure to finally meet you."

Hook barely heard her words. He was too busy deciding that, no matter what, he would find a way to save her from Rumpelstiltskin's deal. He couldn't lose her. Not when there was so much potential for love between them.

They fell asleep next to each other on the beach, her head resting on his shoulder while she slept.

Killian fingered the charms on the chain around his neck thoughtfully. He had to get them off the island before Emma's illness became worse.

He was prepared to do whatever it took, even if it meant giving himself to Rumpelstiltskin to free her.

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_Please review!_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Once Upon a Time is coming back! Ahh I really can't wait!_

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Things are going to start moving a little more quickly from now on since we have their relationship pretty much established and growing by this point._

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Emma couldn't believe her eyes. Not too far off shore, there was yet another pirate ship passing their island that had originally appeared like it had no intention of stopping. However, now it seemed like the ship had noticed them and was slowly starting to turn to make the journey towards shore.

"Look there, lass," Killian gestured out at the ship, a wide smile stretching across her face. "We have a shot at a rescue."

Emma beamed back at him and flung her arms around his neck in an uncharacteristically excited way. "I told you," she teased.

He leaned in and pecked her on the lips. "Happiest I've ever been to be wrong."

Suddenly, something occurred to Emma and the smile fell from her face.

"Something wrong?" the concern in his voice touched her.  
"Nothing." She knew that he was going to press her for more information, but she didn't know if she could tell him. He would be upset, would maybe even try to stop her, but she couldn't let that happen.

He sighed and pulled her closer. In her ear, he muttered, "I thought we were done with secrets."

That statement was full of deep sadness. Emma knew that her new relationship with Killian was dependent on honesty, on being open with each other about the craziness that Rumpelstiltskin and the Evil Queen had wrecked upon their lives, but it was still difficult for her.

"I just have to go get something before we go," she murmured against his chest, unwilling to be released from his embrace. "It's important."

"It's that flower, isn't it?"

Nodding against him, she sourly wondered when he had become so good at figuring out what she didn't say.

"Emma, you can't." His arms tightened around her as if in an attempt to shield her from the harmful effects of the deal.

"I have to." She was grateful that he couldn't see her face - she didn't want him to know how terrified she was. "I'll probably die if I don't fulfill the deal."

"Death is better than slavery." Killian's voice was quiet and tortured. "But I won't let either happen to you, Emma. I promise you that we will find a way. Somehow."

"And until we do, I need to have that flower. Think of it as a backup plan." Emma pulled away and tried to lighten the mood. "If I have it with me, we still have options." Deep down, she knew that they were out of options and that she really had no choice, but she didn't want to taint her relationship with Killian for the last couple days they would get to spend together.

"I can't lose you," the pirate admitted softly, his fingers entwining with hers.

"You won't have to," she reassured him, but her words were empty. She pulled her hand out of his. "You stay here; make sure that the ship doesn't abandon us. I'll go get that flower."

"And if you have an episode?" he asked, referring to her more and more frequent fainting spells.

"If I don't come back, come get me," she tossed the words behind her shoulder at him with more confidence than she felt as she made her way up the beach and towards the forest.

…

The beach felt empty without her.

Killian stood there, his coat flapping in the light breeze, and wondered if there was any chance that things could work out the way he intended. His plan required a lot of luck: the pirate ship had to agree to take them to Alenfey, Emma's parents had to not murder him when they realized that he had kissed their daughter, and Rumpelstiltskin had to accept him in the place of Emma for his deal.

His shoulder sagged slightly. The chance of all three of those things working out as he intended was unlikely, to say the least.

But for Emma, it was worth it to him to at least try.

…

The black flower taunted her, the saw-edged petals mocking her fear, telling her that she had no valid reason to be terrified of the plant. She knew that that wasn't true.

Her fingers trembling, she reached out and plucked a single blossom from the plant and tucked it carefully into the waistband of her dress until she could find a better place to put it. She couldn't chance losing it; that would spell certain death for her if she failed to fill her part of the bargain. The fainting spells would only come more often the longer she put it off, and she knew that one day, she just wouldn't wake up. At least this way, there could be a chance to escape from Rumpelstiltskin's clutches. Killian and her family would never stop looking for a way to free her.

Her task done, she set back off towards the beach where she had left the pirate, hoping that the ship had indeed approached the island.

…

"...has the bracelet on her, just like I promised." Killian finished the conversation as Emma approached him. She could see that he was talking with a heavy set pirate with long, matted hair and a battered hat.

"I want proof."

"Proof's not a problem," Killian agreed, putting his arm possessively around Emma's shoulders once she reached him. "Questions are."

The pirate considered this statement for a second with a contemplative grimace, then nodded. "No questions."

Killian nodded back, then said softly to Emma, "Put your bracelet on."

"Why?" she immediately asked. From the snippet of conversation she had heard, she had assumed that they would be giving the bracelet to the pirate as proof of payment.

"If a certain evil woman sees you leaving, things could get bad," Killian answered, his voice low enough that it would be difficult for the pirate to make out any words in their conversation. Still, Killian had phrased it so that it was vague enough to be confusing. It was better that way - no pirate ship would take them if they knew that the Evil Queen was on their tail.

"But payment-" Emma started to ask.

"-is already taken care of. For now," he answered, a sad look in his eyes. "We'll give them the bracelet once we're in Alenfey and they've fulfilled their part. Never pay a pirate in full up front."

Emma opened her mouth to ask how he had paid them so far, but then she noticed that the chain around his neck was missing - the chain that had held the charms given to him by his brother. She knew how much it had meant to him, and she felt guilty that he had given it up to save her.

"I'll buy them back," she whispered softly as she pulled the bracelet out and raised it into the light for the other pirate's inspection.

"How-" he started, but then shook his head. "Nevermind. Some things are more important than simple trinkets."

His gaze captivated her and it was with a huge effort that she finally managed to tear her eyes away and put the bracelet on her wrist.

The other pirate's stunned look proved to her that the enchantment still held.

"Proof," Hook said calmly, his arm still around her shoulders though he couldn't see her. "Do we have a deal?"

The pirate grinned, showing his half-rotten teeth. "Aye."

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